I love the Festival of Giving – an incredible local event organized by the Foundation of the Children’s Treatment Centre of Chatham-Kent.
I especially love the themed elements that keep the mega fundraiser so fresh each year.
What I didn’t like for 2018 is the typical English weather that came with this year’s theme of British Invasion.
OK, so perhaps the weather was more like what northern Scotland experiences – cold, windy and very wet – but Scotland is part of Great Britain.
Regardless, the weather on the weekend stunk. But that was the only negative.
Organizers announced they made $265,000 that night. Nice job all around, folks!
I attended the event with my work wife, Fatima (Mary Beth and Brenna were out of town at a dance competition). Jeanine the sales machine and her husband Dave were also on hand to enjoy the evening.
A golf cart shuttle from the parking lot at the John D. Bradley Convention Centre to the entrance made the lousy weather bearable. I pitied the chauffeurs who had to endure that cold, driving rain.
Once inside, visitors were greeted by French soldiers taunting them – something straight out of Monty Python’s Holy Grail – and were given fish and chips.
From there, everyone received their own beverage glass, perfect for a pint at one of the three “pubs” set up by a trio of area craft breweries, including local options Bayside and Sons of Kent. I spent much of the evening sampling their wares.
When we walked in, a violinist was performing some Led Zeppelin. That was the first of the British music experience for the evening.
The massive silent auction was underway as we wandered through, bid numbers in hand.
As usual, Festival had something for everyone, for the eyes, ears, nose and mouth. For the eyes, there were women dancing in cages behind the bands, two more outside the “casino” entrance, a Full Monty strip dance for the ladies, and so much more.
For the ears, there was musical heaven. I kept delaying returning to the silent auction area because a Queen cover band was flat out rocking the place! And I’m not talking about just their late-stage pop hits, but rock classics from their early years as well, with, of course, Bohemian Rhapsody. But Keep Yourself Alive, complete with Brian May’s heavy guitar work, was a highlight for me.
Following Queen was a band that hit on a whack of 1960s British classics. The Beatles, Yardbirds, Zombies, you name it, were covered.
And local lads Face4Radio killed it again as the feature band for the rest of the night.
An oxygen bar helped keep people alert, and provided one’s olfactory senses with some flavour.
As usual, the roast beef dinner was excellent. And filling.
Again, something for everyone, and every sense. That’s how Festival rolls.
Festival is also a chance to catch up with people you haven’t seen for a while, as it is one of Chatham’s must-attend events. I give props for so many folks who went above and beyond in terms of attire. Fatima, for example, sported a dress made of scarves that her mother had made in a mere two days. It was awesome.
On the other hand, I went with a 1980s punk look, going for the spiked hair look, but not much else.
Thankfully, there were Redcoats, Austin Powers lookalikes, and more on hand. But the best costume of the night in my books went to Boy George. As I went up to comment to the tall gentlemen dressed as the frontman from Culture Club, he turned and I was in shock. A local police officer went way above and beyond in the spirit of the event. Well done, good sir.
As I do every year, I worried how my hip, back and legs would hold up to hours on the concrete floor of the convention centre, but things went well. But by the end of the night, I was ready to catch a ride home and elevate my feet.
As we waited for the shuttle bus, Fatima reminded me Home James was on hand. For a charitable donation, a volunteer would take you and your vehicle home. Rather than have to return for my truck the next day, Fatima and I – and the truck – received rides home that night.
Sunday reminded me how many hours I spent on my feet on that concrete floor. It was a day of rest for me. Considering the weather was even worse than the day prior, I didn’t miss out on much.
Some readers may think the weather is out of the control of the Festival of Giving organizers, but I know better. When they’ve held beach and vacation themes in the past, I recall unseasonably mild weather in mid-April. It’s been warm enough to wear those shorts outdoors and in.
Claws down
Another individual who gave the weather the claws down on the weekend, was our cat, Finn.
I wasn’t about to leave him outdoors from late afternoon Saturday to early morning Sunday, so instead, he flew out the door when I came home after Festival. He lasted about 20 minutes in the cold and wind, before flying back indoors with equal zeal.
On Sunday, he had perhaps 30 minutes of outdoor time.
But that meant our furry companion had pent-up energy, whereas I did not. He woke me up in the recliner each night, playing with anything he could find, unfortunately, including the pull strings on our front blinds. I had to tuck those up out of the way and scold the little fellow about 2 a.m. Monday morning before retiring to the bedroom.
Maybe he’s just an extra reminder I should go to bed rather than hunker down in the recliner. Oh, I get to bed most nights, but like to start the slumber off in the living room.
Finn, on the other hand, seems to think I need more sleep in bed…or is that less overall? Hmm.
